Bottled Water
by Sr. Eleanor Berret, OSF

At the recent Franciscan Federation meeting in July, the water theme flowed throughout the conference. At the business meeting a resolution was presented and affirmed “that we preserve Sister Water and take action in caring for water, specifically ceasing to buy and use bottled water.”

At the Spring 2005 Regional Day in Allegany, Marie Dolores Gionta recommended the case against bottled water to the Environment Commission. Today, a number of organizations are sounding the alert and taking a stance regarding the bottled water industry. New York State Department of Consumer Affairs states that “most bottled water is nothing more than tap water in a bottle” (www.organicconsumers.org). The water in NYC is tested more than 400,000 times a year. The quality of the water in the city of Toronto is tested every four hours. Government inspection of the bottled water plants takes place every three to six years (Awareness to Action flier: www.insidethebottle.org).

Coca-cola, Pepsi, and Nestle are the largest corporations dominating the bottled water industry. They distribute under brand names very familiar to us: Deep Park Spring Water, Great Bear Spring Water, Poland Spring, Dannon, Crystal Springs, Dasani, Aquafina and others. These companies are filling their bottles with “what is essentially a public resource, to make a private profit” (Awareness to Action flier). The public water systems are the biggest competitors to the large corporations. These corporations use scare tactics in their ads to wear down the confidence of the people in their public water systems, making way for them to take over control of our public water systems and charging higher prices. The cost of bottled water is, in many places, more expensive than wine, milk or even oil.

To re-establish confidence in our public water systems, it is suggested that we get our tap water tested and also to invest in a good water filter to provide protection from contaminants. Bottled water is not without its share of contaminants (www.organicconsumers.org). Another suggestion is to buy a washable/reusable container that fits in your car beverage holder.

There is much more to be said about bottled water – including the bottle itself. This article only scratches the surface and gets the conversation going. This promises not to be the last word on bottled water.